


Prophylaxis

by theparadoxicalfox, TrulyMightyPotato



Series: Royal Flush [26]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: (According to Rumours), Bros being Friends, Gen, Gossip, The Tantalizing Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 21:29:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15615429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theparadoxicalfox/pseuds/theparadoxicalfox, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrulyMightyPotato/pseuds/TrulyMightyPotato
Summary: PJ and Felix have social expectations to meet and images to maintain, so unfounded rumors are something they have to pay attention to... right?





	Prophylaxis

_ Saturday, June 7, 1924 _

The room was buzzing with conversation—and the gossip continued to the outside, too. Everyone was waiting for it, waiting for the moment when Felix Kjellberg, the man hosting the get-together, would publicly shame PJ Liguori.

It had to happen, after all. The rumors had been going around for almost a week now: Liguori had cheated Kjellberg in a business deal they had been working on together. Or maybe it was Kjellberg who had cheated Liguori, in which case that would create a still-satisfactory argument somewhere here and probably today.

Of course, nobody was quite clear on what this supposed business deal was supposed to have been. Some said it had been a joint investment of some kind and whoever had done the cheating had skimmed, resulting in the other not getting his fair share. Some said it was just a formal arrangement—Liguori’s family business helping out Kjellberg with something, or the other way around, in exchange for help later on—and that that arrangement had gone wrong at some point.

(The most extreme rumors discussed the idea of the cheating being not in a business venture, but a personal one. After all, Kjellberg had yet to marry that girl of his, and Liguori was apparently as single as they came. It wasn’t a popular rumor, at least not for the time being.)

Jordan sipped of his lemonade, leaning against the outer wall while yet another person talked loudly about these rumors within earshot of PJ. They were clearly hoping to get a reaction out of him.

“They’re having fun, aren’t they,” PJ murmured, permanently-exhausted gaze wandering from person to person.

“How’re you holding up?” Jordan asked. He was partially referring to all the rumors that were slowly surrounding PJ the more time he spent in the public eye. (PJ had appeared in the tabloid section of the newspaper a few times recently; Jordan’s favorite rumor so far was that there was some kind of secret relationship going on between PJ and Marzia, just because it was so absurd)

He was mostly referring to PJ’s well-being itself.

It had been a month, now. Mir had had Sophie for a  _ month, _ and neither PJ nor Jordan were any closer to finding her. PJ hadn’t really stopped looking; not unless he was being forced to rest, or had to focus on Family things.

On top of that, Jordan had a sneaking suspicion PJ was starting to skip out on things like sleep and proper meals, so he could devote enough time to the Family and keep things running smoothly.

It was definitely starting to show on PJ—much like it had when he’d first taken over the Family. He’d been doing so well, too.

At least, until Sophie was taken. That had been a distinct marker in PJ’s general wellness.

PJ shrugged as someone walked up to him and started talking to him, a barely-disguised prying look on their face.

Ugh. He hated when people were like that.

It took Jordan a good five or six minutes to completely shoo the person away. Probably a reporter of some kind. When he got back to turning his attention to PJ—man, the guy needed a nap—there was another person bothering him.

Fortunately—or maybe not so much—that was the exact moment Felix’s voice graced their ears. He wasn’t addressing them, but nonetheless the person bothering PJ absolutely lit up and stepped back, looking between PJ and Felix as he approached.

Felix was saying something to Fischbach, something Jordan didn’t catch. And, judging by the faintly amused and also concerned look Fischbach was sporting, nobody else was supposed to hear it. Not because it was a secret, but because it sent the nearby people into absolute titters.

Jordan almost missed the wink Felix sent PJ’s way.

Felix stiffened his posture as though he was just seeing PJ for the first time, straightening his sleeves and his expression alike.

Everyone around them gasped.

For a split second, PJ almost broke his practiced expression of slight disgruntlement—not that anyone would have caught it unless they knew him well.

Jordan, playing his part as bodyguard, stood as tall as he could and looked as if he was ready to brawl Fischbach.

“Kjellberg,” PJ greeted evenly.

“Liguori.” Felix clasped his hands over his walking stick.

A long moment of silence. Jordan was at least decently sure a few of the audience had forgotten how to breathe.

Felix took a step closer to PJ, taking the distance from ‘reasonable’ to ‘nobody could walk between them,’ and narrowed his eyes.   
  
PJ stood up from leaning against the wall and pulled himself up to his full height, giving Felix the full force of his displeased look—or, as Gunner had described it a few weeks ago: that look PJ gets when you know you’ve messed up.   
  
Felix grinned, then reached up and booped PJ’s nose with his finger.   
  
Confused murmurs ran around the crowd as the briefest second of bemusement flashed across PJ’s face.   
  
And then the subtlest glare at Felix.   
  
And then PJ’s face split into a grin.   
  
“Y- you don’t have to do that, you know.” He playfully slung his arm over Felix’s shoulders, getting a laugh in return. “We’re still friends.”   
  
Felix laughed again.   
  
Fischbach sent Jordan a confused look, so clearly he hadn’t been updated on where their employers’ act was going. To be fair, Jordan hadn’t known either, so he was just as confused.   
  
So Jordan shrugged, and made a ‘you know how they are’ gesture. It was mostly for the benefit of the people watching, than anything else.   
  
The rumors that would come out of this, though. Between Felix not having proposed to Marzia (which was one of those periodic talks of the town) and PJ apparently being single (since only his closest friends knew about Sophie in the first place, much less what was going on with her), this could, potentially, lead people to wonder if Felix and PJ were  _ very _ friendly with each other.   


Fischbach shrugged back, and the two fell into line as PJ and Felix walked over to some of the tables. Felix might have been a little firm in insisting PJ sit down, but if he hadn’t, Jordan would have been.

More titters ran through those present, and Jordan internally sighed.

Yeah, there would be rumors about this.

\-----

PJ sipped his drink and gazed up at the evening sky. The sun was still setting, the stars still appearing, and the moon was just starting to show. It wasn’t anywhere near full enough to provide much light, though.

Everyone else had gone home a while ago, and he and Felix had been sitting here, just enjoying each other’s company.

“Any leads on Sophie?” Felix finally asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

PJ kept his eyes on the stars and shook his head.

“No. Nothing. But I won’t stop looking until I find her.”

And then he would personally carve any retribution for whatever Mir had done to her into the mobster, very deliberately.

“Well,” Felix sighed, “let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

PJ did look over this time, to see Felix looking at him with clear concern.

“Just... keep your eyes out.” PJ set his drink down and pinched the bridge of his nose, shoving his glasses up to keep his eyebrows company.

“How are you holding up?”

PJ sighed and placed his hands in front of him on the table.

“I... could be better.”

“I noticed.” Felix put a cookie on PJ’s hands. “You haven’t collapsed again, have you?”

“No, no.” PJ shook his head, aware of the suspicious look Jordan was giving him. “I’m not... I don’t feel anywhere close to where I was when that happened.” He picked up the cookie. “Could definitely be better, though.”

Felix munched on his own cookie for a minute, clearly thinking. Then, “Do you get to do this often?”

PJ raised an eyebrow.

“Do I get to team up with one of my few friends to create and spread outrageous rumors about ourselves in response to other rumors about ourselves on a regular basis?” He laughed quietly. “No. Today was the first for that.”

Felix rolled his eyes.

“I meant relax, Peej.”

It didn’t happen very often, no.

“I have too much to do to spend my time relaxing.”

Felix raised an eyebrow.

“Well that’s no good.”

PJ grunted.

“Tell me about it.”

The two sat in silence for a minute. Then, “I have a proposition for you.”

PJ raised an eyebrow at Felix.

“I’m not helping you cheat on Marzia.”

“No-” Felix gave PJ an incredulous look. “Not that kind of proposition. A friendly one.”

PJ just chuckled.

“Anyway, what do you say to you and I—and a bodyguard or two—heading out for an evening,  trying out speakeasies? Maybe only once a week or so. Just to help the both of us relax and take our minds off of business.”

“Is Molly’s new place on that list at all?”

“Of course, but the place is full of memories of Freddy’s.” Felix waved what remained of his cookie dismissively. “We’re trying to lower our stress.”

PJ glanced over at Jordan, who gave an encouraging nod, then smiled at Felix.

“That sounds like a plan.”

“Good.” Felix lifted his glass in a mini toast.

Then, following the delicate chime of crystal, he declared, “To not working ourselves to death.”

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies if we missed any spelling or grammar errors. Potato is currently working her way to visit Paradox for a week, so we're both very excited and very distracted.


End file.
